Blind Date HP Style II The Valentine's Masquerade
by BeachBum754
Summary: The sequel to Blind Date Harry Potter Style, back with more rowdy party games, crazy pairings, champagne, and sherbet lemons. It's going to be a wild night!
1. Deja Vu

A/N- You wanted it, and after much too much time, you got it! Blind Date HP Style II has finally arrived…but be warned. Much madness will ensue, in the form of rowdy party games and masquerade-y goodness. Also, I have to warn you that I may be slow on the update, because I have a ton to do. But don't give up! I promised this story, and it will come. So read, review, and pull up a lounge chair and wait, but get ready for a wild ride.

A/N- Thanks so much to imissdumbledore, who has rocked my world through constant support and reviews. :grins:

Blind Date HP Style II- The Valentine's Masquerade

By BeachBum754

"Harry, come on wake up, we're going to miss it!" Ron whined, banging Harry with his pillow for the third time. Harry rolled over and looked at the time. "Ron, its 6:00am, what could we possibly miss at 6:00?"

"Dumbledore said he was making a special announcement! I bet it's going to be for some sort of dance! Come on, Harry, let's go!" Ron said, already pulling on his shoes. "A dance?" Seamus Finnegan asked excitedly, sitting up in his four-poster, "Bloody hell! Let's go, Harry, move it!"

"Whoa. I just had major déjà vu," Harry said, finally getting up, "What the heck? I feel like this already happened or something…" Dean and Seamus looked at him skeptically, but Ron began to nod as if he had some clue what Harry was talking about. "Yeah," he said, and then with more confidence in his voice added, "Yeah. This has definitely happened before. I remember saying the exact same thing like, almost a year ago…"

Surprisingly, it was Neville who finally realized what they were on about. "The Spring Ball!" he exclaimed, instantly blushing at the memory of last year's unforgettable dance, "When you guys played Blind Date and all that! Remember? Fred and George's great idea, all those crazy pictures, me hiding in Hagrid's pumpkin patch all night?"

"I had almost forgotten about those pictures," Harry moaned, trying desperately to make his hair lie flat and now forget again about that awful picture of him and Malfoy. "I don't suppose Hermione ever forgot," Ron reflected, as his girlfriend still blushed sometimes when someone said the word 'nervous.'

"Hey!" Seamus shouted in an attempt to snap them all back to the present, "D'you think maybe we should go down and hear what Dumbledore has to say, or are you planning on reliving this whole dance thing for the rest of the day?"

"I'd rather not relive it ever," Neville commented. He still hadn't recovered from his horrific Hufflepuff encounter, "Let's go downstairs. I'm starving."


	2. The Announcement

A/N- This is for starters, but it may be awhile before the next update, and I do promise it gets better…so, cliffhanger anyone? R/R!

As the five Gryffindor boys walked into the Great Hall, Fred and George Weasley ran up to them. "You'll never believe it! The school…is doing…" Fred said before he noticed Professor McGonagall standing behind Harry. "Déjà vu," George whispered under his breath.

"Mr. Weasley and Mr. Weasley. Once again, you seem to be in the know before everybody else. This time around I know exactly how you found out about what the school is doing, but once again I must ask that you not give away the surprise to the other students," Professor McGonagall asked, sounding surprisingly pleasant.

Ever since last year's Spring Ball, students had found McGonagall in a much better mood and speaking in much softer tones than she had before. They had also found her smelling suspiciously of a certain sugary, lemon-flavored candy, but that was beside the point.

"Eh, maybe she's right," George grinned at the younger boys, "This surprise might be a bit over your wee little heads." Ron, who was now around the same height as the twins, smirked. "Can't say that anymore, I'm afraid," he pointed out, never so happy to be so tall.

"Yeah, but we're still taller than Ginny," Fred returned the smirk and gestured to the blossoming redheaded girl standing behind Ron, who frowned and stomped off to the Gryffindor table. Harry gaped after her. She was still his adorable girlfriend of last year, but damn was she moody! He never knew when she was going to be mad at him anymore, and lately curses were flying out of her mouth more than her wand.

"So are you going to tell us what's going on, or what?" Seamus asked quickly. He had caught sight of Lavender taking her usual seat at the Gryffindor table, and if Fred and George weren't going to fill them in on what was going on, he was going to go stake out a seat next to his perpetual crush. From the looks on the twins' faces, it was apparent that he might as well go flirt with Lavender.

It wasn't long before everyone else began taking their seats at their House tables as well, though. Despite his sherbet lemon incident, Dumbledore still had the commanding presence over Hogwarts that he had always had. He simply stood up, and much of the student body fell silent.

"Students, I am aware that once again you have heard many interesting rumours about my little announcement. I once again heard the particularly interesting one that I would be adding an addition to the castle that would contain a Snogging Room and indoor Jacuzzi available to everyone in 3rd year and up," he said, pausing for breath before he continued,

"This, however, remains a mere dream. I assure you all that, disappointed as you may be, Hogwarts is home to many fantastic snogging spots, and you need only use your imaginations to dream them up. As for the real announcement…"

"Another Blind Date? How creative," Draco Malfoy's cool voice emerged out of the collective murmuring of the hall, "Honestly Professor, I knew you were losing it, but I thought you had a little bit more originality in you than that." "Perhaps you should let him finish, Mr. Malfoy," McGonagall cut him off. He reluctantly obliged.

"I understand, Draco, that you can't teach an old dog new tricks. However, you can teach an old dog old tricks, and this announcement happens to involve one of the older traditions of wizarding schools. I have kept it at bay for several years due to the chaos that ensued last time I attempted to revive it, but after much conniving and pleading from a few unnamed students, I have decided to give it another go. I am thoroughly excited to announce that Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry will this year be taking part in--"


	3. A Little Chaos

A/N- Well, I told you it would be slow going. And it is, super slow. I apologize. But I've got this chapter up at least, so please enjoy and R/R! Also, I'll take any requests/ideas you want to throw at me…I aim to please.

"—A Valentine's Masquerade!" Dumbledore said triumphantly, grinning around the hall. Fred and George cheered loudly, and minor clapping ensued, but the majority of the hall appeared to be confused. "Has he gone mad?" Snape whispered desperately to Lupin, who happened to be the only one within whispering distance.

As much as the two didn't really get along, Lupin tended to agree with Snape on this one. The two didn't have time to discuss it further, however, as Professor Dumbledore seemed to realize that no one knew what he was talking about.

"I take it from the darting eyes and tentative clapping that not many of you are aware of this ancient tradition," he said bemusedly, as if it was very surprising that the general student body had not heard of a tradition that hadn't taken place since perhaps the '70s, "Unfortunately, judging by the faces of my colleagues, I would be remiss in keeping you from your classes any further. Therefore, I leave you to find out throughout the day, and we will continue to discuss exactly what festivities will ensue at tonight's dinner!"

Dumbledore sat down rather pleased with himself as the entire student body of Hogwarts rushed out of the Great Hall. He had never seen them so eager to get to class. The professors, on the other hand, were not so eager. "Dumbledore, have you lost your mind?" Snape hissed more loudly once a fair amount of students had left the hall.

Even McGonagall looked a little worried. "When you said dance, Albus, I thought you meant something more along the lines of last year's Spring Ball…do you realize what chaos this will cause?" she asked, trying to be gentle in telling him that he had really lost it this time.

"Dumbledore, at least do us all a favor and don't invite Sirius," Lupin said regretfully, "He's my best friend and I love him, but this is going to cause enough madness without his wildness." Dumbledore smiled sheepishly. The invitations had already been sent, and Lupin had spoken too late.

"I understand you all question my sanity on this matter, but I entreat you to go to class and drum up some spirit for this fascinating event. Honestly, February is such a bland month; we need something exciting to spice it up," the Headmaster attempted to explain himself. Extremely skeptical but without much choice, the lingering professors made their way to their classes.

Snape had always hated having to teach Gryffindor/Slytherin Double Potions, but he had never hated it so much as that morning. "Professor, you are going to tell us what the Headmaster was on about, aren't you?" Draco drawled when Snape entered the room looking more like an overgrown bat than ever.

"Yes, please?" Hermione echoed, curious despite herself about this apparently age-old tradition. Somehow, in all her readings of _Hogwarts, a History_, she seemed to have missed anything about a Valentine's Masquerade. The Potions Master had had no plans to tell his class about Professor Dumbledore's ludicrous idea, but the fact that even Hermione didn't know what was to happen seemed to inspire him to share.

"Something Miss Granger doesn't know?" he said silkily, "Ah well, for something like this that is to be expected. The Valentine's Masquerade is, as Dumbledore said, an ancient tradition. It is also one that has not been attempted since I was at school, mainly due to the raging hormones you lot seem to possess in great quantities."

"It is, of course, a dance in honor of Valentine's Day. However, your partners are assigned through a mystery Cupid, rather like the Blind Date show that accompanied last year's Spring Ball. While you are not required to stay with your partner throughout the dance, you must kiss them at midnight. The key word there is must, and I cannot emphasize enough how imperative it is that you take the Masquerade incantation seriously."

He finally stopped to take a breath, and opened the gates for a flood of whispering. "Sounds like a blast!" Ron said, looking to Harry and Hermione for encouragement. He got it from the excited look in Harry's eyes, but Hermione looked just as skeptical as McGonagall had talking to Dumbledore. "I'm not sure. Professor Snape sounded awfully serious about the necessity of kissing your partner at midnight. And what if this 'mystery Cupid' is as stupid as the gangster sock?"

"Please Granger. Nobody could be as stupid as that sock, thinking you and I were a perfect match," Draco sneered, his lip curling at the misfortune of hearing the voice of Gryffindor's resident know-it-all so early in the morning. Hermione glared back at him, unfazed, while Ron seethed and let Harry hold him back.

The gossip would have continued until dinner had their schedule been different. However, Professor Snape had never been much for letting his students enjoy life. He also had no desire to talk about an event that he had been trying to forget since he could remember.

"Silence!" he finally snapped, eyes flashing around the room, "Next person who says a word about any Valentine's Masquerade will write me two rolls of parchment on the value of keeping your mouth shut, due tomorrow." This would normally have been enough to silence any sane student, but the clear discomfort in Snape's voice made it difficult for any of them not to laugh.

"Detentions all around!" Snape snarled, trying to keep up as little bursts of laughter cropped up all over the room. It was hopeless. No one could keep a straight face. "Damn you all! Two rolls…keeping your mouth shut…CLASS DISMISSED!" he sputtered, waving one black-cloaked arm towards the door.

Such loud cheering had not been heard for a very long time throughout the halls of Hogwarts. Now, in addition to the prospect of a very exciting and mysterious Valentine's dance, one lucky class had managed to get out of Potions for the day.

"This is bloody brilliant!" Ron exclaimed as he, Harry, and Hermione made their way past the Fat Lady into the Gryffindor common room. "Bloody brilliant is right, little brother," Fred echoed, poking his head around from behind a couch where he and George had been plotting, "Did you manage to get yourself a clue?"

Between Harry and Ron, the twins managed to get the idea that the Valentine's Masquerade involved some sort of incantation, there was some sort of Cupid involved, that it was extremely important to kiss your partner at midnight, and that Professor Snape was absolutely nuts. "Well, sounds like you got the gist of it," George said, a smirk struggling to remain hidden, "But did he mention the bit about raging hormones? Because that's the best part..."

"Well are you going to tell us, or just sit there and smirk?" Hermione asked, a surprising edge to her voice. Ron attributed it to the fact that for once the brunette didn't know exactly what was going on. Harry was beginning to wonder if it was just the opposite, and that she knew something they didn't. Fred and George seemed to be on the verge of saying something when a mob of people rushed into the common room. The cherished lunch break had just begun.

"Alright Weasley, I just sat through a whole History of Magic class thinking of nothing but what the hell you're on about, and Professor Binns didn't stop lecturing long enough for anyone to ask any questions. Spill, or you're not coming near these lips until we graduate," Angelina said, smiling in spite of the accusatory note in her voice.

Fred's ears immediately perked up. "That's my girl," he said proudly, pulling her down onto the couch between him and George, "Have a seat, everyone, and let George and me tell you a little story. It goes something like this."

"Once upon a time there were two excruciatingly good-looking young lads with vibrant red hair. One dull January day, they got tired of sitting in front of the blazing Gryffindor fire and decided to find something entertaining that could perhaps work the school into a proper uproar. After all, what's Hogwarts without a little chaos now and again. Anyway, after searching our brains and finding nothing of interest other than the usual dying Snape's hair pink or filling the Prefect's Bath with grape juice, we decided to do the only logical thing we could think of."

"So we called upon the king of pranks and all magical marauder mischief, a man almost but not quite as incredibly good-looking as ourselves. The dashing and drunk Sirius Black managed to disentangle himself from his ice cream sundae long enough to tell us about one fine day back when he was at school and his raging hormones led him to attempt to reinstate an age-old tradition known as the Valentine's Masquerade. Following his lead, we did the only other logical thing we could think of, which was of course to talk to Dumbledore…"


End file.
